The gardener's eye

The Gardener's Eye

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Training the Eye on the High Line

I visited the High Line in Manhattan for the fourth time lat month. There is always a lot to learn observing these public plantings and it was great to finally see them in full bloom during the summer. I was focusing on the way the plants were put together by Oudolf: the combinations of contrasting textures woven together in a very naturalistic way. There is a repetition of plants but they are interspersed almost randomly, rather than planted in the waves that Gertrude Jekyll might have employed nearly a century ago. The prairie plantings in the Chelsea Grasslands gave me ideas for the new rain garden at Putnam Park and the Ruin Garden at Teixeira Park while the new woodland plantings at Falcone Flyover has inspired ideas for the new woodland-edge plantings at Teixeira Park and in my own garden.

13 comments:

Michael - Thanks for your update of the the High Line. How are the plants doing in this heat? Do they have irrigation? I never considered mixing grass with my perennials, but really giving it more thought now. Need to consult Beth Chatto's book on drought plantings.Loi

Loi,I think the High Lone does have irrigation but many of the plants are drought tolerant. Grasses might be a great addition to your garden. They add a very nice textural element and look good a long time. Tom Staurt-Smith used a mass underplanting of Hakonechloa macra to great effect in a Norfolk garden he designed on his website that I'll bet you would appreciate: http://www.tomstuartsmith.co.uk/projects/private-gardens/norfolk-garden/ Ouldolf uses Sesleria autumnalis often and I think it is drought tolerant. Good luck!

The High Line is an invention, a new sort of garden, a new way to make or build a garden, to me, Michael. It points the way to a healthier future, one where we're going to have to revive industrial and derelict spaces, as much for their need as for our own, to re-connect ourselves with what's natural. It's a co-operative process, not one where we're imposing our will.

I couldn't agree with you more, Faisal. I think it is an exciting model for the future. I love the idea of giving derelict places a new life and reason for being. I am certain that it will also be good for the environment. Thanks, as always, for your comment.

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About Me

I am an optometrist by profession. I designed and maintained public gardens in Peterborough, NH for nearly two decades. I host garden tours of English Gardens for a tour company called Discover Europe. In 2016, I led a new tour that I designed called The Passionate Gardener. This blog is a chronicle of my gardening adventures.